Grinding attachment for carding-machines.



UNrrEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH AUDETTE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

GRINDING ATTACHMENT FOR CARDlNG-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,164, dated May 20,1902.

Application filed May-22, 1901 T0 at whom it may concern..-

Be it known that'I, JosnPH AUDETTE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Grinding Attachments toCarding-Machines; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference'being had to the accom panying drawings, which form a part ofthis specification.

My invention is designed to provide 'a grinding attachment to acarding-machine.

Heretofore in order to grind the cardingcloth upon the main cylinder ofthe cardingmachine it has commonly been found necessary to remove atleast two rollers adjacent to the cylinder in order to get access to thecarding-cloth upon the cylinder,when a grinding-roller may be applied ora long emeryboard held adjacent to the grinding-cloth. The operation ofgrinding the carding-cloth in this manner necessitates throwing themachine out of work while it is being ground for a very considerableperiod, and inasmuch as the operation must take place often it will beseen that the machine is in consequence thus thrown out of work, greatlyto the disadvantage of the carder, owing to the loss of time of themachine and the labor involved.

My invention contemplates means whereby the carding-cloth upon thecylinder may be ground while the machine is actually turning out work,dispensing with the necessity of throwing the machine out of work.

I accomplish my purpose and effect the grinding of the cloth without anyloss of time and without any additional labor by the operation of themachine itself, all the labor involved being simply that of adjustingthe grinding mechanism or gaging it to the cylinder, which may be donein a very simple,

and expeditious manner, as by simply turning a couple of set-screws,requiring but a few seconds to move the grinding mechanism toward andfrom the cylinder.

I carry out my invention as hereinafter described and claimed, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a sideelevation showing the cylinder and related parts of the machine,

.' Serial No. 61,360. (No model.)

portions of the frame being removed. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section onthe line 2 :2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view in longitudinal section,showinga traveler grinding mechanism. Fig. 4 is a view in section on the line 44, Fig. 3.

In the drawings the numeral 1 denotes a cylinder, 2 being its shaft. isthe doffer. l is the fancy-roller. 5 is a worker. 6 is a stripper. 7 isa worker. S is a stripper, and 9 is a worker. 10 is another stripper. 14is a worker. 11 is the tumbler. l2 and 13 are feeders. Some machines,however, have no workers and no strippers. These featu res constitute noprinciple of my invention. A horizontal bed of the frame of the machineis indicated at a. The carding-cloth on the cylinder is indicated at Z).

My invention consists in combining with the frame of the machine andwith its driving mechanism, which may be of any desired construction, agrinding device which may may be mounted in bearings 0, having aslidingconnection upon bearing-blocks d. The set-screws e connect the slidingbearings with the blocks, so that the grinding mechanism may be adjustedtoward and away from the cylinder, as required.

My invention contemplates the use of an emery wheel or roller, a rollerbeing indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 at f, having its shaft g mounted insliding bearings 0. Where a roller is thus employed, I prefer that itshould be made to vibrate longitudinally by any suitable me'chanismas,for example, by a lever h, actuated by a cam i upon the shaft of thedofier.

Where an emery-roller is employed and made vibratory, it is obvious thatthe roller should exceed in length the width of the cylinder, so as tobe kept in contact with the carding-cloth the full width of the cylinderat all times while grinding. I prefer that the vibration of thegrinding-roller should be slow, the grinding-roller moving endwise backand forth any suitable distance. Instead, however, of using anemery-roller to contact with the carding-cloth the whole width of thecylinder a traveling grindingwheel might be employed, (indicated moreparticularly in Figs. 3 and 4 atj,) the grinding-wheel j being caused totravel by a feedscrew is, rotated by pulleys l m in a customary manner,11 denoting a loose pulley. The

grinding-wheel is mounted upon the shaft 1), rotated in any suitablemanner, as by a belt q. The grinding wheel or roller may be of anysuitable construction.

In attaching my grinding mechanism to different makes of machines thegrinding roller or traveler may be placed anywhere under the cylinderbetween the doifer 3 and tumbler 11 as may be most convenient. It willbe understood that between the doffer and the tumbler the grinding-clothis practically free of the cotton or other material being carded, andtherefore the grinding mechanism is located between the doffer and thetumbler underneath the cylinder.

My invention also contemplates the rotation of the grinding roller ortraveler in the same direction as the rotation of the cylinder, asindicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, the grinding roller or wheel beingdriven at a higher speed than that of the cylinder, so that the surfaceof the grinding roller or wheel will gain upon the surface of thecarding-cloth upon the cylinder. By rotating the grinding device in thesame direction as the carding-cloth is moving the surface of the grinderis traveling in the same direction as the layof the teeth of thecarding-cloth, which is obviously essential. In grinding thecarding-cloth by hand, as has heretofore been common, it has beennecessary to reverse the rotation of the cylinder in order that the layof the teeth on the carding-cloth may come properly against the grindingdevice. By my improved device I accomplish the same result without thenecessity of reversing the direction of rotation of the cylinder.

It will be evident that by my invention, therefore, I am enabled togrind the cardingcloth while the machine is actually turning out stock.IIeretofore it has never been found possible to grind the carding-clothof the cylinder while turning out stock. It-will be evident thatinasmuch as by my invention the carding-cloth can be ground while themachine is in operation the cloth may at all times be kept in primecondition so as to do the most efficient work, as the grinding-clothneed never become dull. Heretofore it has been so expensive to stop themachine and throw it out of work while grinding the cloth that often thecloth has been permitted to get very dull before stopping the machine togrind it; but by my invention this diificulty is entirely overcome.\Vhile my invention is principally intended to grind the cardingcloth,as above described, the operation of grinding will also clean the cloth.

It is well known that in the protection of fabrics next to quality ofmaterial used is the quality of the work performed, and of the wholeprocess in manufacturing the product no part is so essential as the'carding, inasmuch as no first-class work can be achieved in any otherpart of the process unless the carding has been well done. Thedifference in the quality of the work turned out by a carding-machinecorresponds with the condition of the machine when it is turning out thework. The quality of the work turned outa few days after the machine hasbeen ground is never so good as when the machine has been newly ground.By my grinding attachment the condition of the machine may be keptconstantly at its best, so that the machine will always turn outfirst-class work.

It is obvious that the equipment of a machine with my improved grindingattachment is inexpensive, while the capacity of the machine and thequality of the work produced are increased greatly over that which canbe accomplished in the ordinary manner. The usefulness and desirabilityof my improved attachment are therefore obvious.

hat I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination with acarding-machine provided with a horizontal bed, of a maincarding-cylinder covered with earding-cloth, a doffcr, a tumbler, and agrinding device permanently located between the dofler and the tumblerand on the tumbler side of the cylinder and therebelow, and means torotate said grinding device in the same direction with the cylinder,whereby the carding-cloth may be ground while the machine is doing itswork.

2. The combination withacarding-machine provided with a horizontal bed,of a main carding-cylinder covered with carding-cloth, a doffer, atumbler, and a grinding device permanently located between the dofferand the tumbler and therebelow,whereby the carding-cloth may be groundwhile the machine is doing its work, said grinding device movable to andfro longitudinally of the cylinder, and toward and away from saidcylinder.

The combination withacarding-machine provided with a horizontal bed, ofa main carding-cylinder, a doffer, a tumbler, a rotatable grindingdevice located between the doifer and the tumbler and therebelow,sliding bearings upon said bed carrying the shaft of said grindingdevice, bearing-blocks located beneath the sliding bearings, means toadjust the sliding bearings upon said blocks, and means to rotate saidgrinding device in the same direction with said cylinder, whereby thecarding-cloth may be ground while the machine is doing its work.

4. In a carding-machine, the combination with a main carding-cylinderprovided with a doffer and with a tumbler, of a grinding devicepermanently located adjacent to the portion of the cylinder free fromthe material being carded, between the doffer and the tumbler andtherebelow, whereby the cylinder may be ground while the machine isdoingits work.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOSEPH AUDETTE.

\Vitnesses:

N. S. WRIGHT, M. HICKEY.

